The time between America's independence in 1783 and the year 1850 was an era of remarkable growth in territory and power for the new nation, as well as a time of social ferment and change. Americans created a constitutional government, expanded westward, and grappled with the problem of slavery. This book presents primary source documents that place the reader at the time of America before the Civil War changed everything, while secondary sources offer a more distanced, analytical perspective. The timeline gives readers a snapshot of America at crucial moments and underscores the connections between seemingly unrelated events and developments.